Ecosystems | Review Lesson
Students review the basic parts of ecosystems and how living things depend on each other and on nonliving parts of their environment. The lesson uses discussion, sorting, and a quick exit assessment to check understanding.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecosystem | A place where living and nonliving things work together |
| living | Something that grows and needs food, water, and air |
| nonliving | Something that was never alive |
| producer | A plant that makes its own food using sunlight |
| consumer | An animal that gets energy by eating plants or other animals |
| habitat | The place where a living thing lives |
Show a simple ecosystem picture. Ask quick review questions: What living things do you see? What nonliving things do you see?
Students turn and talk, then share answers using complete sentences.
Display picture cards one at a time. Model how to sort them into living, nonliving, producers, and consumers. Ask why each card belongs in a group.
Students hold up fingers, respond orally, and help place cards on the board.
Give each pair an ecosystem sorting worksheet. Circulate and prompt students to explain choices using vocabulary words.
Students work with a partner to sort items and explain connections between living and nonliving parts.
Ask advanced review questions such as: What would happen if an ecosystem had no water? How are a rabbit and a plant connected?
Students answer orally or on whiteboards with short explanations.
Review the main idea: ecosystems include living and nonliving parts that depend on one another. Ask students to share one thing they learned and one example of an ecosystem connection.
Students complete the sorting worksheet and a short exit response identifying one living thing, one nonliving thing, and one way they depend on each other in an ecosystem.